


In which tabletop RPGs make everything better.

by Eastonia



Series: East's Zutara Week Prompted Worldbuilding and Headcanons [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Dungeons and Dragons AU, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Worldbuilding, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2019, except here it's more it was all just a tabletop RPG, it was all just a dream, tabletop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-28 17:10:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20067595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastonia/pseuds/Eastonia
Summary: For ZKWeek 2019 Youth.I've found it. I've found the golden AU where everything is grand and nothing hurts. Where everything was just a tabletop campaign that a bunch of silly youths are playing.(Featuring Dungeon Master!Iroh).





	In which tabletop RPGs make everything better.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt me with an AU and a Zutara Week day I missed!
> 
> @eastonia-blog.tumblr.com

A Tabletop RPG AU world-build snippet ft neighbourhood kids Gaang and the start of a very, very long RPG campaign.

  * The Gaang has been together for a while now (they literally grew up together). When everything changed because the lightning storm attacked and… left the entire neighbourhood in a black out.
  * (Zuko was 12, Sokka and Suki were both 11 and some change, Katara was 10 and Aang and Toph were 8. Iroh was the lucky guy that had to babysit these children during a thunderstorm.)
  * (That’s when he introduced them to tabletop RPGs, just little things that can hold their attention for long periods of time and get these young folk lost in their imagination for days on end.)
  * Four years later, Iroh has planned out an _epic_ campaign. They all get their characters, and backstory and twists (that Iroh made them draw out of a hat) ready. (Except Toph, she’s trying out a boarding school because her parents are going… somewhere. In Suki’s case she has athletic meets and can’t join too many campaigns).
  * Zuko is just sitting there across from Katara and she’s wondering why it’s only her and Sokka starting off the campaign when Aang and Zuko _are right there_.
  * And then the first ‘twist’ happens – Aang’s character is also the barrier maiden/MacGuffin and he has to be protected until he can save the world.
  * And then Katara groans:- the reason why their rogue specialist _is not with the hero squad_, is (and Zuko grins in absolute mischief, she glares back at her best friend _who-is-the-worst_) because their rogue specialist is their mini-boss _villain_.
  * “Your backstory is going to be horrifyingly tragic too isn’t it?” She groans.  
“_Maaaybe_?” He teases.
  * Iroh smiles with youthful abandon.  
“And he came up with it all on his own too! Once I gave him his twists!”
  * Katara glares at Zuko “You’re lucky you’re cute.”  
Sokka: “Stop flirting at the table and let’s just _get on with it…_”

* * *

  * Zuko is also genuinely the _worst_. Katara knows this because he keeps on hinting that his character will eventually do a heel-face turn and join the hero squad.
  * Cue the session in which the mini-boss and Katara's character end up trapped in some caverns.
  * (Katara is all YES NOW JOIN!)
  * (Zuko is grinning out of character and then...)
  * After the session wraps up:-  
"Dude! WHAT WAS THAT??? I'm in a _coma_???"  
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO JOIN US! Bro, I think we'll need to take a break. Just. Bro."  
"Sparky, I think you broke them."  
and Katara's "You. You sir, are a troll."  
"What? Like the offer of magical spring water healing was supposed to convince me 100%? You rolled a pass not a natural 20 Katara. _AND_ you then failed the Persuasion saving throw!"  
"Well how was _I_ supposed to know that Azale had a plus 10 persuasion with proficiency over your character?"
  * (The rest of the Gaang plus Iroh is just watching the banter post book keeping.)

* * *

  * The way the show was their RPG campaign would work? Each episode is a session. And if this ever became an actual work, it would be characters dissecting the post mortem of the session.
  * The conversation above? Regarding the plays of the game during the 'Crossroads of Destiny' session? _That's more than fairly normal._

**Author's Note:**

> More on this AU
> 
> Sokka usually picks straight up Fighter. No magic, no nothing. He then tends to pick the Champion archetype.
> 
> Whenever Suki joins she's usually playing Rogue, expanding into the Scout archetype.
> 
> Katara always, and I stress always, picks the Paladin. She nearly always takes an Oath of Vengeance.
> 
> Aang likes playing Monk and dedicates his characters to the Way of Tranquility.
> 
> Zuko is their main Rogue specialist and often chooses to become an Arcane Trickster. (That Iroh is subtly training him to take over Dungeon Mastering is just a given.)


End file.
